Research Interests

• Manipulating gene expression in the mammary gland of transgenic mice.
• Mammary gland biology.
• Transcription regulation of milk protein gene expression. The role of Stat5
• Translation mechanisms governing protein synthesis in the mammary gland. The role of amino acids and the mTOR pathway.
• Transgenic mouse model for breast cancer: Gene array and bioinformatical analyses of gene expression.
• Stem cells and cell hierarchy in the mammary gland.

Recent Publications

• Recent Publications
• Baruch, A., Shani, M., Hurwitz, D. and Barash, I. (1995). Developmental regulation of the ovine β-lactoglobulin/human serum albumin transgene is distinct from that of the -lactoglobulin and the endogenous -casein in the mammary gland of transgenic mice. Developmental Genetics, 16: 241-252.
• Barash, I., Faerman, A., Puzis, R. and Shani, M. (1995). Synthesis and secretion of caseins by the mouse mammary gland: Production and characterization of new polyclonal antibodies. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 144: 175-180.
• Faerman, A., Barash, I., Puzis, R., Nathan, M. Hurwitz, D.R. and Shani, M. (1995). Dramatic heterogeneity of transgene expression in the mammary gland of lactating mice: A model system to study synthetic activity of mammary epithelial cells. Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, 43: 461-470.
• Ilan, N., Barash, I., Faerman, A., and Shani, M. (1996). Dual regulation of -lactoglobulin /Human Serum Albumin gene expression by extracellular Matrix in mammary cells from transgenic mice. Experimental Cell Research, 224: 28-38.
• Barash, I., Nathan, M., Keri, R., Ilan, N., Shani, M., and Hurwitz, D.R. (1996). Elements within the β-lactoglobulin gene inhibit expression of Human Serum Albumin cDNA or minigenes in transfected cells but rescue their expression in the mammary gland of transgenic mice. Nucleic Acids Research, 24: 602-610.
• Barash, I., Keri, R, Ilan N, Baruch A. Hurwitz D.R. and Shani M. (1996). Co-integration of β-lactoglobulin/Human serum albumin (BLG/HSA) genes with the entire BLG gene or the Matrix Attachment Region element: repression of HSA and BLG expression in the mammary gland and dual regulation of the transgenes. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 45: 412-430.
• Ilan, N., Barash, I., Reichenstien, M., Faerman, A . and Shani, M. (1996). β-Lactoglobulin/Human Serum Albumin fusion genes do not respond accurately to signals from the extracellular matrix in mammary epithelial cells from transgenic mice. Experimental Cell Research, 228: 146-159.
• Gootwine, E., Barash I., Bor, A., Dekel, I., Friedler, A., Heler, M., Zaharoni, U., Zenue, A. and Shani, M. (1997). Factors affecting success of embryo collection and transfer in a transgenic goat program. Teriongiology, 48:485- 499.
• Baruch, A., Shani, M. and Barash, I. (1998). Insulin and prolactin synergize to induce translation of human serum albumin in the mammary gland of transgenic mice. Transgenic Research, 7:15-27.
• Ilan, N., Barash, I., Gootwine, E. and Shani, M. (1998). Establishment and initial characterization of the ovine mammary epithelial cell line NISH. IN VITRO cellular & developmental biology, 34: 326-332.
• Barash, I. (1999) Prolactin and insulin synergize to regulate the translation modulator PHAS-I via mitogen-activated protein kinase-independent but wortmannin- and rapamycin-sensitive pathway. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 155:37-39.
• Barash, I., Faerman, A., Richenstein, M., Kari, R., Damary, G.M. Shani, M. and Bissell, M.J. (1999). In vivo and in vitro expression of human serum albumin genomic sequences in the mammary epithelial cells with the β-lactoglobulin and the whey acidic protein promoters. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 52:241-252.
• Reichenstein, M., Gottlieb, H., Damari G-M., Iavnilovich, E. and Barash, I. (2001). A new β-lactoglobulin-based vector targets luciferase cDNA expression to the mammary gland of transgenic mice. Transgenic Research. 10:445-456.
• Barash I and Richenstein M. (2002) Real-time imaging of β-lactoglobulin-targeted luciferase activity in the mammary gland of transgenic mice. Molecular reproduction and development. 61:42-49.
• Iavnilovich, E, Groner B and Barash, I. (2002). Overexpression and Forced Activation of Stat5 in the Mammary Gland of Transgenic Mice Promotes Cellular Proliferation, Enhances Differentiation and Delays Postlactational Apoptosis. Cell Growth and Differentiation. 1:32-47
• German, T. and Barash, I. (2002). Functional epithelial cell-line from bovine mammary gland. In Vitro cellular and Developmental Biology. 38:282-292.
• Shefer, G., Barash, I., Oron, U., Halevy, O. (2002). Low-energy laser irradiation enhances de novo protein synthesis via its effects on translation-regulatory proteins in skeletal muscle myoblasts. Biochemical and Biophysical Acta. 1593:131-139.
• Choi, K.M., Barash, I. and Rhoads RE (2004) Insulin and Prolactin Synergistically Stimulate β-Casein mRNA Translation in Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells by Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation. Molecular Endocrinology. 18: 1670-1686.
• Iavnilovitch, E., Cardiff, R.D., Groner, B. and Barash, I. (2004). Deregulation of Stat5 expression and activation causes mammary tumors in transgenic mice. International Journal of Cancer. 112:607-619
• Reichenstein, M., German, T and Barash, I. (2005). BLG-e1 - a novel regulatory element in the distal region of the β-lactoglobulin promoter. FEBS Letters 579: 2097-2104.
• Moshel Y, Rhoads RE and Barash I. (2006). The role of amino acids in translational mechanisms governing milk-protein synthesis in murine and ruminant mammary epithelial cells. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 98:685-700.
• Iavnilovich, E., Eilon , T., Groner, B. and Barash, I. (2006) Expression of a carboxy-terminally-truncated Stat5 with no transactivation domain in the mammary glands of transgenic mice inhibits cell proliferation during pregnancy, delays onset of milk secretion and induces apoptosis upon involution. Molecular Reproduction and Development. 73:841-849.
• Barash, I.  (2006) Stat5 in the mammary gland: controlling normal development and cancer. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 209: 305-313. Review.
• Desrivières, S., Kunz, C., Barash, I., Vafaizadeh, V., Borghouts C. and Groner, B. (2006). The biological functions of the versatile transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5 and new strategies for their targeted inhibition. The Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia. 11: 75-88. Review.
• Eilon, T, Groner, B and Barash, I. (2007). Tumors caused by overexpression and forced activation of Stat5 in mammary epithelial cells of transgenic mice are parity-dependent and develop in aged, post estropausal females. International Journal of Cancer. 121:1892-1902.
• Ladovsky-Prizant and Barash, I. (2008). Negative effects of the amino acids Lys, His and Thr on S6K1 phosphorylation in mammary epithelial cells. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry.  105: 1038-1047.
• Eilon, T. and Barash, I. (2008). Gene expression profiling deviate the highly differentiated mammary papillary adenocarcinoma from the poorly differentiated carcinoma and supports distinct metabolic pathways involved in tumor development. BMC Cancer. 8:270.     
• Eilon, T and Barash, I. (2009). Distinct gene-expression profiles characterize mammary tumors developed in transgenic mice expressing constitutively active and C-terminally truncated variants of STAT5. BMC Genomics 10:231.
• Eilon, T and Barash I. (2011). Forced activation of Stat5 subjects mammary epithelial cells to DNA damage and preferential induction of the cellular response mechanism during proliferation. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 226:616-626. 
• Reichenstein, M, Rauner G and Barash, I. (2011). Conditional repression of STAT5 expression during lactation reveals exclusive roles in mammary gland morphology, milk-protein gene expression and neonate growth. Molecular Reproduction and Development. 78:585-596.   
• Rauner G. and Barash, I. (2012). Cell hierarchy and lineage commitment in the bovine mammary gland. PLoS ONE  7:e30113.
• Barash, I. (2012). Stat5 in breast cancer: potential oncogenic activity coincides with positive prognosis for the   disease. Carcinogenesis. 33:2320-2325. Review.
• Rauner, G., Leviav, A., Mavor, E. and Barash, I. (2013). Development of foreign mammary epithelial morphology in the stroma of immunodeficient mice. PLoS ONE  8: e68637.
• Rauner, G. and Barash, I. (2014). Xanthosine administration does not affect the proportion of epithelial stem cells in bovine mammary tissue, but has a latent negative effect on cell proliferation.  Experimental Cell Research 328:186-196.
• Rauner, G. and Barash, I. (2016). Enrichment for repopulating cells and identification of differentiation markers in the  bovine mammary gland. Journal of Mammary Gland and Neoplasia. 21:41-49.
• Reichenstein, M., Rauner, G., Kfir, S., Kisliouk, T. and                Barash, I. (2016). Luminal STAT5 mediates H2AX                       promoter activity in distinct population of basal  mammary epithelial cells. Oncotarget. 7: 41781-41797 
•  Rauner, G., Kudinov, T., Gilad, S., Hornung, G.                 and Barash, I. (2018). Jigh expression of CD200              and CD200R1 distinguishes stem and progenitor                cell populations within the mammary repopulating            Units. Stem Cell Reports. 11:288-302.
• Kfir, S.H. and Barash, I. (2019). Calorie restriction and              rapamycin administration induce stem cell self-renewal              and consequent development and production in the                  mammary gland. Exp. Cell Res.  382:111477. 
• Laufer, S.,  Kosenko A., Kisliouk, T. and Barash, I. (2020). H2AX promoter demethylation at specific sites plays a role in STAT5-induced tumorigenesis. J. Mammary Gland Dev. and Neoplasia.25:205-218.
• Kosenko, A, Salame, T.M. Fridlander, G, Barash, I. (2022). Newly characterized bovine mammary stromal region with epithelial properties supports representative epithelial outgrowth development from transplanted stem cells. Cell and Tissue Research 387, 39-61.
• Kosenko, A, Jackobi, S., Salame, T.M., Ross, M., Barash, I. (2022).  Intramammary rapamycin administrationto calves induces epithelial stem cell self-renewal and latent cell proliferation and milk protein expression. PLOS ONE. Online since June 22.
• Kosenko, A, Salame, T.M. Fridlander, G., Barash, I. (2022), Macrophage-secreted CSF1transmits a calorie restriction-induced self-renewal signal to mammary epithelial stem cells. Cells. 11: 2983.

• Manipulating mammary gland functions in transgenic mice expressing Stat5 variants.
• Stat5 and mammary tumorigenesis.
• Translation regulation in the mammary gland: The role of amino acids and the mTOR pathway. Stem cells in the bovine mammary gland.
• Identification and manipulation of stem cells in the bovine mammary gland.

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  Gat Rauner1,2 & Itamar Barash1